Trekking in La Palma

Photo: Wikimedia Commons · Wikimedia Commons

Epic4 hours – 4 days

Why go

The Ruta de los Volcanes walks the island's active ridge past a line of craters, and the GR131 crosses the whole island in four days from the sea to the 2,400 m rim. Few small places pack this much vertical.

When

In season: Oct–May · Peak: Nov–Mar

Who it’s for

Skill

Intermediate–Advanced

Effort

Demanding

Suitable from

10+ · Kid+

Crowds

Quiet

Cost

$$$

Trekking specifics

Distance: 25 km
Total ascent: 1100 m
Max altitude: 2426 m
Accommodation: Hotels and rural houses; one refuge in the caldera
Technical: Loose cinder and long descents; navigation easy on waymarked GR routes

What to expect

Long descents that punish the knees, exposed cinder ridges, and a wet, root-tangled laurel forest in the north-east. The Caldera de Taburiente is a green world inside a collapsed crater.

Routes

What the difficulty bands mean

easy: Accessible with basic fitness; no technical skills or exposure.
moderate: Sustained effort or some exposure; comfort on the terrain expected.
hard: Long, technical or serious — experience and the right conditions required.

Los Tilos laurel forest
easy
Ancient laurisilva and tunnels in the wet north-east
11 km500 m ascent4 hours
Ruta de los Volcanes
moderate
The volcanic spine of the island, cinder cones the whole way
25 km1,100 m ascent8 hours
Caldera de Taburiente
moderate
Into the collapsed crater from Los Brecitos, waterfalls and pine
16 km900 m ascent7 hours
Roque de los Muchachos ridge
moderate
The high rim above the observatories, cloud sea below
14 km700 m ascent6 hours
GR131 north to south
hard
The full length of the island in four days
70 km4,300 m ascent4 days

How to start

Fly into Santa Cruz de La Palma and base in Los Llanos or El Paso. Buses reach the main trailheads; the volcano route is best walked north-to-south with a pickup arranged.